The invention concerns improvements in or relating to the treatment of vegetables or similar agricultural produce, in particular, but not exclusively, the cutting of cauliflowers to separate florets from the vegetable stalk or the division of cabbages with removal of the central stalk.
In the food processing industry it is necessary to cut vegetables or other agricultural produce into manageable portions for fresh produce sales, or canning or bottling purposes. In particular, the de-floretting of cauliflower has presented difficulty when carried out by a mechanical process, instead of a laborious manual task, because often the florets themselves are cut, instead of merely the side stalks joining them to the main stalk or core. Small pieces of floret or "crumbs" are thus included in the product which detract from its appearance.